It’s taken my a couple of goes to get through Super Show Down. Purely because I wasn’t massively wanting to watch it. The things I thought it important to reflect on, is where the events that unfolded fit into the future storylines of WWE programming and the impact of the show itself.
Firstly, the good stuff.
- The referee squaring up to Baron Corbin, allegedly costing him the Universal Title. Not only does this cement Corbin’s status as one of the top heels in the company, it lends to a rematch, which at the time of writing, is set to occur at Stomping Ground in 2 weeks time.
- There is something so incredibly satisfying about seeing Brock Lesnar get pummelled with a chair by Seth Rollins. This is the first time in a VERY long time that Lesnar has taken a beating like that. I also feel it gives chance for him to distance himself from the title picture temporarily, at least until he cashes in sometime in the fall when the new WWE TV will take flight.
- Finn Balor’s Demon King entrance. The match itself wasn’t anything to write home about, but his entrance is absolutely epic. This should put the rivalry with Andrade, which frankly, has been underwhelming. What is it about Balor at the moment that isn’t quite hitting the mark?
- Shinsuke Nakamura and Sin Cara going back and forth during the 50 man Battle Royal. Nakamura’s character has had the biggest nose-dive of 2019, FACT! It was nice to see him actually doing something.
- The event has more pyro than Wrestlemania. I love Pyro!
- Monsoor, the hometown hero getting the biggest pop of the night.
- The Undertakers entrance. The match itself was a disaster but his entrance was very very cool.
And, the bad stuff
- Dodgy camera angles. There were several moments where you actually turned your head, or squinted your eyes to try and understand what was going on.
- Empty seats, lots of empty seats. For an event that claims to be as big as Wrestlemania, you would think it would sell more tickets.
- Shane McMahon. With a roster stacked with talent, ability and charisma and a plethora of Superstars who haven’t been used effectively in weeks, why does he still have the spotlight? Fingers crossed this puts an end to his TV time and frees up some room for someone else.
- Lars Sullivan and his Lucha House jobbers. He’s boring, the gimmick is boring and they need to either put him in a legit story line or sack it off. WWE need to stop thinking squash matches, going on a rampage without any direction is doing anything to build his character. I’m bored, NEXT!!
- What the hell was the weird buzzing/humming noise all the way through? One person in the audience has a Vuvuzela and were sat directly under the camera?
- Goldberg and has multiple f**k ups. The head shot off the corner that made him bleed like a stuck pig, not tucking his head when Undertaker dropped the Tombstone and the incredibly sloppy Vertical Suplex which almost ended in catastrophe. Even ‘Taker couldn’t hide how pissed off he was. The match was a disaster but luckily the crowd were too into the spectacle and the fact they were there to really notice how terrible it was.
My closing thoughts
This card didn’t really count, because half of what happened will likely be repeated at the next US based PPV. Super Show Down is WWE’s dirty little secret because up until the event itself, they didn’t advertise where it was happening and if they did, it was swept under the rug. I find it ironic that on the weekend of this event, the men folk are competing and the women folk, who aren’t permitted to wrestle, are marching for equality back in the states. This event serves to prove that just because a main event has never happened, doesn’t mean it has to. I could have gone my entire life and not worried what would have happened when Goldberg met The Undertaker.
And finally, we can back track a lot over the last ten years as guys like Shawn Michaels, Triple H and the Undertaker have gracefully stepped back, showing respect to themselves and opponents. They have passed the torch to a new generation but the legacy, the history and the class means absolutely nothing when they are prepared to tarnish it all when the price is right.
